The invention concerns a centre arm for holding an upper contact grilling or roasting plate, wherein the centre arm has a substantially vertical supporting section and a holding section which is arranged pivotably on the vertical supporting section and to which the upper contact grilling or roasting plate can be attached, and in the holding section is arranged a device for weight relief for the upper contact grilling or roasting plate to be fitted on the holding section, the device for weight relief including at least one guide means which is constructed and designed at one end for pivotable mounting and on which is movably arranged a sliding element, a return element arranged on the free end of the guide means and secured by a stop means between the sliding element and the stop means, and also an adjusting device which can be actuated by means of an actuating element for varying the distance between the sliding element and the stop means in the longitudinal direction of the guide means. Furthermore the invention concerns a contact grilling or roasting device having at least one upper contact grilling or roasting plate and a lower contact grilling or roasting plate, the or each upper contact grilling or roasting plate being arranged pivotably by a centre arm on the lower contact grilling or roasting plate.
Centre arms of this kind are used in the field of contact grilling or roasting devices having at least two contact plates designed for contact with the material to be grilled or roasted. Such contact grilling or roasting devices are known universally in practice and include an upper contact grilling or roasting plate and a lower contact grilling or roasting plate, the upper contact grilling or roasting plate being pivotably linked by a centre arm to the lower contact grilling or roasting plate. Associated with both contact plates is a unit which receives the wiring and has corresponding control elements, the unit usually being arranged below the two contact plates. The centre arm is usually in two parts. To put it another way, one centre arm element is mounted rigidly in the region of the lower contact grilling or roasting plate. A second centre arm element is arranged pivotably on the first centre arm element and holds the upper contact grilling or roasting plate. In the region of the centre arm is usually provided at least one device for weight relief for the upper contact grilling or roasting plate. Such a device for weight relief, namely one for finely adjusting the weight relief, is arranged in the pivotable centre arm element carrying the upper contact grilling or roasting plate.
Usually, at least the device for weight relief is adjustable for fine adjustment in the pivotable centre arm element. For this purpose the device for weight relief has an actuating element. A centre arm with such a device for adjustable weight relief is known e.g. from EP 0 662 299 B1. The adjustable weight relief device described therein is arranged in the pivotable centre arm portion. The device includes a rod which is mounted on the stationary centre arm element outside the pivot axis of the pivotable centre arm element. On the rod is arranged a sliding element which is connected to an adjusting knob as an actuating element for adjusting the sliding element via a compression spring by means of a screw connection and a bearing bush. Round the bore for the adjusting knob, that is, the upwardly directed opening in the centre arm element for passage of the adjusting knob or bearing bush from the outside into the interior of the centre arm element, is formed a hole circle in the individual holes of which a pin located on the adjusting knob can latch. By pulling on the adjusting knob, the pin is pulled out of the respective hole of the hole circle, and by a rotating movement of the adjusting knob it is latched in another hole. By rotation of the adjusting knob, the sliding element is slid via the adjusting device on the rod, as the sliding element is connected to the adjusting knob outside the centre axis of the adjusting knob. On the end of the rod opposite the mounting of the rod a spring element is arranged and held on the rod by a stop. In the open position of the upper contact grilling or roasting plate, the distance between the sliding element and the stop is greatest due to the different pivot axes or pivot axes offset from each other, respectively, on the rod. When the upper contact grilling or roasting plate is lowered in the direction of the lower contact grilling or roasting plate, the distance between the sliding element and the stop decreases until the sliding element abuts against the spring element, so that a compressive force is built up, which counteracts further lowering of the centre arm element and hence of the upper contact grilling or roasting plate. Depending on the position of the adjusting knob and hence the position of the sliding element on the rod, the compressive force can be varied.
The construction of the adjusting device known from the state of the art, which is oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis of the guide means, firstly however has the drawback that it is elaborate in construction. Secondly, for the actuating element or bearing bush as part of the adjusting device an aperture is necessary, namely an opening with a hole circle, on the upper side of the centre arm element, which on the one hand increases the risk of soiling inside the centre arm element and on the other hand makes the process of cleaning the centre arm element from the outside difficult. To put it another way, the known device for weight relief is inadequate from hygienic aspects. Also, handling of the actuating element for adjustment of weight relief is laborious and imprecise and allows only a short adjusting path.